Ice-cutting machine



Aug. 21, 1928.

W. H. WAY

ICE CUTTING MACHINE Filed May 23, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR l V/LL[AM H. WA Y AMA-:2; m

A T TORNE Y W. H. WAY

ICE CUTTING MACHINE Filed May 25, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 I 7-- L &ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 2 1, 1928.

- UNITE-DSTATYES WILLIAM HENRY'WAY, or ossmnw, NEW You.

- rcn-cu'r'rme MACHINE. u

. Application filed May 2a,

;This invention relates to ice cutting ma chines and has for an objectto provide an improved machine in which the saw is power driven; whichis power propelled; which is self guiding in cutting strips of ice ofVarious desired and variable widths; which will out a slot in thesurface of theiee to variable depths; with. which the saw can be shiftedinto and out of engagement with the ice in a simple manner .and with aminimum of manual effort; which is relatively. compact, lightin weight,simple and inexpensive in construction, and rapid and efiicient in .use.Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription of an embodiment of the invention and the novel featureswill be particularly pointed out hereinafter inolaims.

In the accompanyingdrawing, i Fig. 1 is a side elevation of} a machineconstructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is an end levation of the same, andFig. i is an elevation of a portionofthe same for showing the latchdevice,

Figure 5 is a detail. sectional view of the differential device.

Figure 6 is a top edgeview of one of the guidev lates.

In t e illustrated embodiment of the invention, the running gear is inthe nature of I a sled having runners and connected near the ends bycross rods 2 and 3, Pivot stud shafts 4 are provided upon the outerfaces of the runners and extend horizontally in alignment with oneanother. A frame 5' is mounted upon the pivot studs for oscillationabout the axis thereof. IA shaft 6 extends horizontally across theframe, and is rotatably mounted in bearing'blocks 7, provided I uponone. end of the frame.

A saw 8 is carried by the shaft for; rotation therewith and in asubstantially vertical plane. A

suitable driving motor 9, such as an internal combustion engine,i's-mounted in the frame to extend from the other end thereof in adirection lengthwise of the frame, A pair of aligned shafts 10 extendtransversely of the frame and "are connected through a. suitshaft of theengine. One well known form of such a differential that may be employedis clearly shown in sectional detailin Figure 5, where the maindrivingshaft carries a cone pinion that meshes with a large bevel gear thatcarries aseries of four cone pinions 1 1923; Serial 11 040,86

A sprocketwheel 12 is fixed upon, the outer.

end of each of theshafts. Sprocket pinions that engage the two bevelgears, oneon each i 13 are-"fixedjupon the outer ends of the shaft6,-and chains .14 connect thesepinions with the driving sprocket wheels12. The power of the engine may be delivered to the main drivingshaftthrougha suitable clutch; and

transmission mechanism 15 which is similar I to, and controlled in thesame manner as,

.the. corresponding parts of; an automobile.

AradiatorlG is provided uponthe frame, at

the end opposite from e the saw, and connected to the engine to cool itin thesame manner as'in an automobile. The fuel tank 17 is mounted.transversely of theframe, and connected to the engine through a suitablecarburetor in a. manner well known in the a Bowden wiremechanism 18-anda suitable ,art. "The'guantity offuelmixtureiadmitted 7 to the engineiscontrolled ina manner simioperating lever 19,; The lever 19is m0untedonv one of the handles that are provided upon the frame at the endopposite from the saw for enabling the shiftin' of the machine intocutting position and. or. drawing the sled over the ice. The ignition.

mechanism 21 is mounted on theframe in i any suitable mannerand place,such as above the eng ne, and may be controlled from. a

suitable switchdevice22 provided u on one of the handles:20. A crankhande23 is j provided at the handle end of the frame, .by

means of which the engine is turned over-in starting.

Thecross rod Qat the forward or handle end of the sled, is extendedlaterally on each side of the sled, and on each extension car-g ries anarm 24 with a guide plate 25 extending laterally from the free endthereof.

,When the arm'is vertical the plate willbe nbove the surfaceoflthe ice,and when horizontal the plate will dependbelow the surface of the ice.When theplate is placed in a previously sawed slot,it willguidethe abledifferential 11 with the main drivingsled in adirection at a uniform.distance fromtheguiding slot sothat the slot being v cut-in the ice willbe everywhere the same distance from the guiding slot." The arms 2d arerotatably and slidablyadjustable on the rod extensions soasto be setforcutting strips of diiferent widths. When thearms are placed in avertical position the guide P ates will be ineffective. The arms areattached to the extensions by clamping means so that they may be securedin theirdifierent:

adjusted positions.

The arms 2 t are separably attached; to the rod 2 so that either guideblade 25 may be introduced into the reviously made saw kerf as required,which guide plate by action of gravityis held Within the kerf' forguiding the machine. Thus should an obstacle be encountered in the uidinl slot the 'forg a ward engaging cornerof the plate 25 being rounded, asshown "at 25, the blade will easily be lifted sufiiciently to pass overthe impediment and thereafter resumej its nor;

mal' operative position in the groove.

' In order to facilitate the passage of the guiding'plate overobstructions and reduce to a minimum the ill effects thereof, the

plates are themselves rotatably' mounted uponthe arms 24: and held inoperable position thereon by means of a spring'25 tojeach plate,having-one end thereof secured tothe hub of the arm by means of the pin24 1a opposite end being attached to the plate 25 J "by the pin 25. Astop pin 25 suitably projecting from the inner face of the plate engagesthe arm 24 so as to be held byaction of the spring at substantiallyright angles .to the longitudinal axis" of the arm upon which it issupported. The forward engaging corner of the guide blade 25 is roundedas-shown at 25 v in Fig. l to permit the memher to slide over anyobe'tacle'encountered' in the "groove instead of, plowing through "suchresisting and disturbing elements.

The frameiis not entirely balanced about the axis of oscillation, buthas a smiallpreponderance of weight on the saw carrying end, so thatwhen free the frame will, by its 'own weight (including the weight ofthe parts carried thereby), tilt in a direction to carry the saw intoengagement withthe ice.

"A plate 26 is coupled to the frame at the "saw end by a bolt .27passing through the. frame and through one of the apertures 28 of theplate 26, so as to depend from the frameand,by its engagement with thesur-' face of the ice, limit the tilting of the frame "and thereby serveas a depthgziuge for the saw. The gauge is variable by passmgthe I bolt27 through any one oftheapertures' 28 of the plate. A suitable guard 29is supported by'bars 8O u'pon'the frame and over the saw, so as toprevent anyone from'injury by falling upon the saw. s

A latch 31 is pivoted upon the handle end i of the frame so as to bemovable into'locking engagement with a pin 32 provided upon one of therunners of the sled when the frame is tiltedin a direction to carry thesaw entirely" above the surface of theice.

' latch 31'may be operated intoorout of engagement W5"? the pin bysuitable -link provides the horizontal traction.

"cut.

The

mechanism. 33 that extends into a readily accessible part on the machinenear the handles. The rotary saw is driven in a directionto carryitsteeth downwardly into sawing engagement with the ice, with the resultfthatthesaw teeth will have horizontal traction upon the ice being cutsufficiently to propel the-imachine over the ice so easilythat butlittle propelling force is necessary, andthe' traction of the sawteethon theiice hasbeen fOund to be ample to propel. the

sled; Because the axisof rotation-of the saw is above-the ice, theteethin sawing engagementwith the ice will have a 'considerablehorizontal component of travel which In operation, let it beassumed thatth frame is latched to the sled with the saw entir'ely' above thesurface of the ice. The

sled is, pushed or drawn into position with the sawabove thei'ce where aslotis to be p The engine is then started and the clutch "operated tocause the engine to drive the saw' at a'rapid' rate. 1 The'linkmechanism33 is then operated to unlatch the frame from the sled, andthe frame isallowed to tilt by gravit'ylin a direction to carry the rotating sawinto engagement with the ice. The engagementof the plate 26 the sawwhile'being moved with thefsled willv out aslot in theice. After oneslothas been out, the sled is placed adjacent and "parallel withtheslot, with the sawspaced laterally from this slota distance equal'toThe sled, by the traction of the. saw

the'desired width of the strip-to be," cut. 1 7

One of the arms 2et is then :shifted-to'carry its plate 25 into thepreviouslyIcut-slot so as to guide the sled in a direction'parallel withthe previouslycut' slot. The sled is again propelled overthei ice,withlthehandie end of theframe'foremost'inthe direc- 'tion of travel, soas to cuta second'slot equi-distant at all points fromthe firstslot..VVhen shifting the sled -from one position to another the frame isalways tilted to re-i move the saw fr'om'the ice and hold. itremovedwhile the shifting is taking place. If desired the latch '31 can be usedto hold the frame in thetilted position with the saw elevated. The fuelspark and other control- 1,

ling devices for the engine are 1 all convert iently accessibleon theframe, and the'cutting operation willbe very rapid. 7.

It will be obvious that various changesin in describedand illustratedfor the purpose thede'tails and arrangements ofparts herei of explainingthe nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the artwithin the principle and scope of the invention. 7

I claim: 1. In an ice cutting machine comprising a running gear movableover the ice to be cut I and a tilt-able frame thereon, a saw carried bythe frame for rotation in a vertical plane at one end of the tiltableframe; a driving motor mounted on theirame, and means ina driving motor;a diiierential device operatedby the motor and having apair of alignedshafts extending transversely ofthe frame; sprocket pinions on saidaligned' shafts; sprockets on said mandrel correspondingly aligned withsaid pmions; and

transmission means connecting each of said pinions with a sprocket.

3. In an ice cutting machine, the combination of a sled member and aframe operably mbunted thereon, cutting means thereon, and guiding meanson said sled member, consisting of a reversible guide plate held rigidlyagainst lateral movement, the forward corner thereof being rounded toride overobstructions, an arm member mounted on the sled member,- onwhichrarm member the guide plate is 'movably carried, and yielding meansaffixed to the guide plate and the arm member. a

In an ice cutting machine, the combination' of a sled member havingrunners,;a frame thereon, a circular cutting saw, a driving Jmotor forsaid saw, and guiding means, comprising a vertical plate, an arm mountedon the runner to Which arm the plate is pivoted, a sto device on theplate, and a spring attache to the plate and to the arm. i

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. 7

WILLIAM HENRY WAY,

